Restoring the Mold

I saw this cute little antique butter mold on Etsy for $28, and I couldn’t pass it up. It had a tiny little crack in the flower design and the wood was very dry, but otherwise, it was in perfect condition. I figured I could restore it similarly to a standard cutting board. I started by filling in the cracks with Titebond glue, which is food safe. It’s important to make sure that the cracks and crevices are filled in, otherwise, food could get stuck and cause a contamination issue. I waited 24 hours for it to fully cure, then I took a 220 fine-grit sanding pad and gave it a light rub. This cleaned off all of the built-up scum and grim on it. Lastly, I oiled the entire thing with one made specifically for cutting boards. If you don’t have that kind of oil already you can safely substitute it for any cooking oil, I like to use olive oil since it’s already always in my kitchen. Leave the oil on for a couple of hours or overnight to give it a chance to sink in.

Using the Mold

If you don’t know how to make butter yet you can check out my tictok here, because I’m not covering it in this post.

Now that the mold has been restored, and the oil has had a chance to soak in it's time to get started. After some trial and error, I found it is best to start with a cold wet mold. I fill a pot or sink with ice water and put the wood mold in it to soak while I am getting the butter ready.

You want the butter to hold its form but still be malleable. I usually make a ton of butter ahead of time, storing it in the refrigerator until I have time to mold and package it. On processing day, I take the butter out in the morning and then do my farm chores. By the time I’m ready to get to work it has usually softened up quite a bit. I break off sections of the butter and toss them in my kitchen aid mixer. This is when I mix any herbs or salt that I want. I try to work in approximately one pound batches since that is how much butter my mold holds. This has worked well for raw butter because getting out all of the milk is important for longevity. I have found that doing a second processing of the butter helps to get out all of the leftover excess milk.

Once the butter is ready, I take the mold out of the water and then work all the butter into the mold. I make sure to pack it in firmly and not leave air gaps. Once the butter is packed in, I put it on a plate or cutting board. I use the plunger to apply firm pressure to compact it. Then still holding the plunger with one hand, I use my other hand to lift the surrounding wood. I then carefully separate the design from the butter. If this doesn’t work for you then your butter is probably too soft, or your mold isn’t cold enough from the ice bath.

I typically make 5-10 pounds of butter at a time, and I always return the mold to rest in the ice water bath for a few minutes before making the next one. After the butter has been molded, I put it in the refrigerator if I plan on using it within the week or in the freezer overnight to harden before using my food saver to package it for long-term storage.